Wednesday, August 3, 2011

So I've been inspired by my friend, Rachel. She and her husband, Seth, are like goal setting power houses. When we first met these young whippersnappers we felt like we hadn't done anything in the world. You see, we had all recently moved to Edinburgh (read: been there for 4 days) and they had already been to multiple new student gatherings, enjoyed a ceildh (read: Scottish square dance), done a tour of the highlands, and written the first thesis chapter (Seth not Rachel). OK, maybe not all of that, but they are go-getters I tell you. Inspiring! And then we remember that we have a kid and this is why at 4 days in all we had seen in Edinburgh was the inside of IKEA.

Bummer.

(about IKEA not about having a kid!:))

I have to say that since then, we have attended a ceildh or five and took a jaunt through the highlands and a family holiday to the Outer Hebrides.

Amazing.

Back in January SIL, Susannah, and I committed to what we dubbed "The Year of Discipline;" we made a few realistic goals that we were going to hold each other accountable for (I've been planning on writing a blog post on this for months but never got around to it - so yeah, you can guess how well that is going for me.) At the same time I was setting goals, Rachel was too, but she is actually following through. One of her goals was to read a book each week this whole year. I feel in love with this idea when I first heard about it and then it was back to reality when I looked back at all of the books I had read since Seth was born (read: 2), and realized this was a goal for the year I have an empty nest (read: at least 17 years from now).

So I may not be reading a book a week, but I have finished another one: Kate Morton's The Forgotten Garden and I absolutely loved it.

1. Fiction
2. Set in Britain (though it's partly set in Australia too)
3. Mystery (and it's a generational one which is a plus)
4. Epic (spans almost 100 years)

I had picked this book up at the recommendation of a book shop owner (old habits die hard) right after Seth was born, but didn't start reading it till a few weeks ago. I truly couldn't put it down - Taylor will attest to the sadly neglected bathroom that missed a scrubbing or two.

The characters are believable - you want to be their friends and are sad to see them go when the book is over. The language was beautiful. She has a great balance of inner dialogue, setting description, and interaction among characters. And the storyline is intriguing. I love trying to solve the mystery before it is fully revealed.

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"Even the sparrow finds a home, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may lay her young, at your altars, O Lord of hosts, my King and my God. Blessed are those who dwell in your house, ever singing your praise!"- Psalm 84:3-4